On Saturday , Oct . 17 , Bolton First Selectman Robert Morra and Vernon Mayor Jason Mc-Coy joined with other local and state officials to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Bolton Lake Sewer Project .

Designed to serve the middle and lower Bolton Lakes area in Bolton and Vernon , the public sewer system project was made possible by a unique collaboration between the two neighboring towns . By creating the Bolton Lakes Regional Water Pollution Control Authority , the first regional WPCA established in the state , the newly-formed entity was able to secure significant state and federal funding for the estimated nearly $ 22 million project . The BLRWPCA has executed an agreement with the town of Manchester to accept the lake area effluent into their treatment plant .

“ It’s been an interesting 17 years, ” said Morra , chair of the BLRWPCA . He said the two towns have been under a Department of Environmental Protection consent order to sewer the Bolton Lakes area , but the enormity of the costs for such a project made it a difficult pill to swallow . He credited state representatives Pam Sawyer and Joan Lewis for their legislative assistance , which helped to establish the regional WPCA . “ This was made possible through the incredible cooperation between the town of Vernon and the town of Bolton . We worked together at least 10 yearson this , basically on a handshake , ” he said .

Bolton Town Administrator Joyce Stille said the funding for the project will be coming from several sources , including a Small Town Economic Assistance Program grant to the town of Bolton , a Federal EPA State and Tribal grant , grants and loans from the Connecticut Clean Water Fund , the U . S . Department of Agriculture Rural Development program , taxes from the towns of Vernon and Bolton and benefit assessments to users .

McCoy said it has been two yearsof twice-a-month meetings for him , watching as the Authority got and lost its funding , then got it back again with help from then-U . S . Rep . Rob Simmons and Sen . Chris Dodd , and overcoming other obstacles along the way . “ I’m glad to be here to do this . It’s one of the great things I get to be a part of , ” he said .

McCoy added that residents of both towns should be happy the project is coming to fruition and that the project will ensure the water will not be contaminated .

Sawyer said it wasn’t easy at first to get support for the project . “ How can a town of less than 5 , 000 take on millions and millions [ of dollars ] for a sewer system ? ” she said , adding that the state had its own reservations about allowing the establishment of a never-beendone-before regional Authority . Sawyer said the sewer project will allow for projects to move forward that have been held up for years.

“ I can see a lot of good harmony here between Bolton and Vernon . This is a close-knitted relationship , ” said Vernon resident Jack Masterson , who owns a log cabin on Bolton Lake . He said he has been watching the activity on the project and was always pleased that workers took the time to answer his questions . “ It’s a pleasure to come out and see this kind of turnout [ for the groundbreaking ] , ” he said .

Masterson’s neighbor , Donald Mac-Dougall , had some reservations , however , saying he is still unsure what the costs will be to the individual homeowners in the sewer service area , and was worried that his taxes will be significantly higher as a result of the project .

Designed by the Manchester engineering firm Fuss & O’Neill , the construction of the project will be handled by F&J , Inc ., of Ludlow , Mass . It will be completed in five phases . According to the project Web site , Phase I will be primarily a gravity sewer , which will begin at the connection to the Manchester system at Shady Glen Restaurant and continue to Bolton Notch Pond . More information about the project can be found at the regional Authority’s Web site , www . blrwpca . com .